Comments regarding Flora Exotica

I ordered 50 sensitive plants that I need for an important science experiment I am doing over the summer. I could not find any adult sensitive plants in the city where I live and found this company on the internet. Perry was very helpful and quick in answering my many questions via e-mail. All of the plants arrived in excellent condition after they were picked by my uncle in Montreal. Perry also sent very detailed instructions on how to care for the plants via e-mail. In addition, Perry answered an extensive list of questions I had related to the age and conditions the plants were kept under (eg. how many hours of sunlight they received a day, the soil composition etc...). This information will be very valuable for my laboratory write up. In all, I had a very good experience with Flora Exotica.

I ordered two plants from this company in January. The plants eventually arrived here in Ottawa in June by expedited mail. The tibouchina looked as though it was freshly dug and put into a pot. The mimosa was small and thin. Both plants were poorly packaged and had fallen out their pots and were crushed. The tibouchina is dead. There were no other packaging materials in the box. I asked for a replacement, but was told that they do not replace plants or refund the money but that I could place a new order. WARNING. Be careful when mail ordering from this company. He does not appear to stand by his plants or his shipping methods.

"

Dear passifloracrazy,

Please verify your record to see if you actually ordered these plants from us. We did not receive any Email asking for replacement for a Tibouchina and a Mimosa plant.

If you can find any proof that these are our plants (previous Emails, tracking number sent by Canada Post, ...), please let us know to verify and to rectify the situation.

Thanks.

It has been 3 weeks and there was no reply from the customer to confirm where he/she ordered these plants from. We are posotive that these plants were not from us for these reasons:

1. We did not ship any Tibouchina and Mimosa to Ottawa in June. We even went back to our records in May and April.
2. We did not receive any Email or D-mail asking for replacement for a Tibouchina and a Mimosa plant.
3. The customer's statement "The tibouchina looked as though it was freshly dug and put into a pot" probably refers to a vendor out West. In our location (Eastern Canada), Tibouchina plants are not hardy enough to plant in the ground.

I have sent an Email to Dave to find a way to prevent these faulty comments in future. "

I would like to give my experience to other Canadian's especially those that are looking for those exotic plants that you would not find in your local plant shops...I have been dealing with Perry at Flora Excotica for three years now...I live in Northern Alberta...I just received a shipment of plants this week...plants that I specially ordered in March...the plants came via expedite parcels...they came in exactly 1 week...the plants were well packaged and in excellent condition...so many of the plants that I have ordered from Perry are plants that I have seen on the U.S. plant site but impossible to get shipped here to Canada...Flora Excotica has so much to offer and if you don't see it on their website...email Perry and he will get right back to you and let you know if he can get it for you or not...I have used Pay Pal for payment very easy and safe...once Perry has received payment, he is very quick in getting plants shipped...with our climate he ships when safe to do so...I highly recommend this company and Perry for their great service...and I will continue to order plants from them...Thanks Perry..Keep up the good work....Gladys

Contacted Flora Exotica (12/06) about the availability of a 2' ficus religiosa (Bodhi Tree). Informed though in stock, shipment would be delayed until warmer weather.

This was my first venture into ordering a plant online. Having loaded trucks for a major carrier in the past, I am aware of the potential for rough handling. Nevertheless, I dearly wanted this plant and rolled the dice. I need not have worried. The packing of my 2 foot tree was adequate. After traveling 1,300 miles, over 4 days, my Bo Tree arrived safe, healthy, and as scheduled.

Perry has been quick to respond to email inquiries; always courteous and helpful. As pleasant and trouble-free as this transaction went, I would not hesitate to order again from Flora Exotica.

Extremely positive experience- called to order a Bodhi Tree, was advised on stock immediately and in a very helpful manner soon had an order in place- order was received in a few days, ,well protected and identified- the 5' tree is great, was well packaged and on receipt received a follow-up email advising on care. One question received a clear and detailed response. I am thoroughly impressed with both the product and the service received.

I have only good things to say about ordering my Clivia miniata plant from Flora Exotica. Perry quickly answered all my email questions before purchase and my Clivia arrived 2 days after ordering. I was able to track it's progress through Canada Post on the web. Packaging was simple but effective and it arrived safe and sound. It is a beautiful healthy looking plant and came with the flower buds just opening. A wonderful burst of colour, and more buds are coming up. I have wanted a Clivia for years; it's a plant my mother kept on the windowsill throughout my childhood in England, and that same plant is still going strong 50+ years later. I have only seen one other for sale in the Ottawa area in a florist's shop. It was $65 plus tax. Thinking that no-one would buy it for that price, I went back months later when it wasn't in flower hoping to get a deal, but no! It was still $65.00! So imagine my delight when I found Flora Exotica sells them for a much more reasonable price, and more economical with less hassle than ordering from an American mail order company. My hope is that they will be able to expand their selection in the future, so I can buy more varieties. I am totally hooked on this plant and would recommend it to anyone looking for something truly exotic, unusual, a real showstopper with it's gorgeous orange/red flowers and glossy dark green strap leaves. By all accounts it is easy to grow in the house, likes shade, a plant loved by Victorians, therefore with a history of being grown in darkish Victorian households. And...as far as I know, it's only available at Flora Exotica. I would recommend this plant and this company to anyone who loves beautiful, unusual plants.

I would just like to express my thanks to Perry and Flora Exotica. I e-mailed Perry for information, placed my order and received my plants, all within one week. Perry promptly replied to my e-mails, was helpful and patient in my final decision and my Hoyas arrived nicely packed and in excellent condition. I'd also like to add that the plants were well established, were well rooted and very clean. I would encourage anyone looking for the 'unusual' to not hesitate in ordering from Flora Exotica, they are one of the best in Canada, in my opinion. Thanks Perry. Karen

I ordered a Night Blooming Cereus, and a Lotus Mrs. Perry Slocum, please excuse my spelling I didn't keep order form. I'm from U.S. and was slightly worried because I thought customs would be nosey. They were. The box was obviously opened and poorly resealed. It was also completely flatened when it got here. However, the quality of packaging was perfect for the plants. They looked fine and I was surprised considering the shape of the box. The Lotus was not just one small banana looking thing but two, and althought one of the "tubers" growing tip was broken off ( I blame customs), the other was in great shape. A nice fat looking thing. I planted it in some really stinky wet compost muck from the recycling center and it went crazy. It sent leaf buds out within days and by August I was on my forth amazing bloom, they just kept coming, it is Oct. now and I can't express how happy I was with this plant. Everyone asked about it. Thanks Perry. I also had the best experience with the Cereus. It was well rooted when it arrived in a 3 or 4 inch pot, I'm serious about the well rooting. Not what I'm used to. I actually let out a hoot when I pulled it out of the pot and saw how well it looked. It promptly started to grow and is very large now, I am waiting for flower buds, and getting ready to repot it for the second time. A very worthwhile experience all around. I would definately order again with zero hesitation. The plants did better than stuff I get locally. I'll stop gushing now. I did have a problem receiving e-mail. I think it is because of the way I have my security set up. So adjust your settings and don't give up if you don't hear back from them. This place is worth it.

I ordered seeds for:
- Averrhoa carambola
- Passionflora edulis
- Lycium barbarum
- Punica granatum 'Nana'
- longan (dragon eye)
- Annona squamosa

All of my annona germinated, most of my Lycium germinated (But I received significantly more seeds than I ordered so I ended up with more plants then I expected!) all of my punica germanated, unfortunately my longan and carambola seeds tried to germinate but became fungus infected (too much water, oops. my thumb is not very green yet) I am still waiting for the passionflora but its only been in the ground for two weeks so far.

my experience with flora exotica has been great, especially compared to other seed companies. When I asked for his opinion on ordering theobroma cacao plants I got an honest answer! Delivery was quick and the instructions worked. I am looking forward to more orders with this company.

Overall great service. Very reasonable shipping price, and my miracle fruit plant arrived in perfect condition.
I had a few questions, both before and after purchasing, and Perry answered them and was very helpful.
Great seller.

I purchased two "miracle fruit" plants and received them yesterday. Plants
were extremely well packed and arrived in great shape. Had several questions before purchase and had very quick response to my e-mails by
Perry. Excellent experience.

I visited Flora Exotica today to buy some Hoya cuttings, and I was very pleased with the size, price and selection of what he had available. I will definitely buy from him again, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend FE to anyone looking for something off the beaten path.

BP

WARNING!!! Based on the good ratings in here, I placed an order 4 days ago for 36.00 through PayPal and have not received confirmation from this company regarding my order. When I initially emailed the company on how to place an order, I received 2 helpful responses On The Same Day. Once I sent the money (the same day), I can't get back in touch with them. Here is a copy of the e-mail they sent to me on how to pay them:

From: "Perry Nguyen"
[Add to Address Book]
To:
Subject: Paying for Posters and Egyptian onions
Date: Saturday, August 05, 2006 7:55:28 PM [View Source]

Margaret,
Please send the total ($16 + $10 + $10 = $36) to my Email ID via PayPal at this
link: //www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/ema/index-outside
Thanks

They sure are quick to take the money. I'm probably lucky it was only 36.00. And by the way, the $$ was in AMERICAN $$ and they are in Canada. Be very cautious about ordering from this company.

"

I just got back from a trip to attend my brother's wedding from August 04 to August 13. We had some problem with internet connection there, and could not get into Email as intended. I have sent Email to explain the situation, and will process the order as soon as possible.

The order was processed today.

There is definitely some communication problem here as Emails have been sent to the customer to update the progress of this order (see below). First Email sent on Aug 17 with a picture of the content of the package, and second Email sent Aug 21 with proof of shipment. As the customer did not give a contact phone number, Email is our only way to make contact. Will resend the Emails to see if they will get through this time !

Note to Margaret: If you are reading this, please call me at our phone (514) 747-7618 or our cell (514) 268-2323. I will resend the proof of shipment and continue to try to contact you via Email.

FROM: "Perry Nguyen" | Save Address
DATE: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 19:47:09 -0700
TO: "lafko06@aol.com"
SUBJECT: Receipt for shipping your Posters and Bulbs

Margaret,

Please find attached a copy of the receipt from the Post Office. This is a proof of shipping for your 2 posters and 20 Egyptian Onion Bulbs.

Please let me know if you have received this Email, as many Emails are sent but never received because of spam filters.

Thanks.

--
Perry Nguyen , Flora Exotica
Email: Perry@FloraExotica.ca
Web site http://www.floraexotica.ca
Phone&Fax (514) 747-7618
Cell (514) 268-2323
--

Margaret Lafko - Post Office Receipt.JPG (Binary attachment)


FROM: "Perry Nguyen" | Save Address
DATE: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:48:07 -0700
TO:
SUBJECT: Order for Posters and Onion Bulbs Processed

Margaret,

Your order for 2 posters and 20 Egyptian Onion bulbs has been processed. Postal services usually take one or two weeks to deliver to your address. Please see attached picture.

I sincerely apologize for not being able to communicate with you during our trip.

Thanks.


--
Perry Nguyen , Flora Exotica
Email: Perry@FloraExotica.ca
Web site http://www.floraexotica.ca
Phone&Fax (514) 747-7618
Cell (514) 268-2323
--

Margaret Lafko.JPG (Binary attachment)
"

I ordered a 3' Mexican Oleander from Flora Exotica, as none were available in the San Diego area. I was provided a UPS shipping date, a tracking number and an approximate delivery date. My plant traveled almost 3,500 miles, a week long journey, from Canada to Southern California, during a nation-wide (and local) heat wave. It arrived in excellent condition and health. I was really pleased with my Flora Exotica experience, and will order from Perry again. Anyone worried about the transit can expect the plant to arrive as safely as it would if it traveled from a local nursery on SoCal freeways!

During the fall of 2005 I conducted an Internet search for plant vendors who might have, and be willing to sell me a couple of Dwarf Lotus seeds. This inquiry eventually morphed into a decision to purchase an already 'hatched' dwarf lotus plant.

Flora Exotica was one of the plant dealers I contacted, and Perry told me he'd have good-to-go lotus tubers sometime in May, 2006. When the time came to place my order, the specific lotus I wanted wasn't available, but Perry recommended an available alternative which had almost identical characteristics and I was happy to accept that one instead. Additionally, I ordered a fragrant night-blooming cactus.

I asked Perry a lot of questions about both the lotus and the cactus. He was very informative and patient and aside from answering my queries based on his personal experience, he sent me a helpful and concise Internet link about the lotus life cycle and how to care for it during its seasonally determined phases. I also had a drawn-out and irritating experience with PayPal and ultimately elected to send Perry a personal cheque. He showed heroic patience during this process!

Both the tuber and the cactus arrived in fine repair and between the info I got from Perry and my own research, both plants are thriving and I'm quite happy with them. A week or so after these plants arrived I read about and asked Perry if he carried an unusual vine that's related to the Hydrangea shrub. He looked into it and said that if he couldn't acquire the exact plant he could get me its nearest relative--so to speak. I may look into his offer later on.

Last week I ordered a baby Magnolia Coco tree. It arrived in jig time in fine shape. I repotted it in a slightly larger pot--gave it some food and a comfy spot by a northeast window, and I'm looking forward to eventually seeing its first bloom.

My next purchase from Perry will be a Jasmine Sambac 'Grand Duke'. I can't wait!

Good packaging, the plants arrived intact and healthy. My rating would have been positive but for two things:
1) Of the four plants, only two were labeled. I checked the box and there were no tags or anything floating around in there, so it wasn't a case of them coming off during shipping. The two mystery plants had very similar leaves, so I had to do a lot of peering at online pics of stems to figure out which was which.
2) No planting instructions were included. While they're probably available on request, not having them right to hand was a bit of a nuisance.

After reading the above comments, I had high hopes for this company. I was disappointed.

I ordered seven plants, mostly tropical trees, in mid March. They were not shipped until mid May. The reason given for the delay was that the Dwarf Ylang Ylang was "slow to come out of dormancy."

The plants were shipped loosely in a box packed with, no kidding, four pieces of wadded up newspaper. The plants were not rooted in at all. Most appeared to have been bare-root or in smaller containers, then were placed in the larger container filled with peat just prior to shipping. The 3" Carambola had two withered leaves which soon dropped and it did not recover. The Dwarf Ylang Ylang arrived with 4 leaves but within a day dropped three. I do have one emerging leaf, I am hopeful that it will recover.

I received an email notice that the plants were shipped. I replied that the Carambola arrived "virtually leafless" and I got no reply.

The Jaboticaba I received is a nice little tree, it exceeded expectations. But overall the quality of the plants and the packaging/shipping were substandard.

"

These are the items in this order:

Dragon fruit plant in 6-inch pot
Carambola (Star Fruit plant) in 4-inch pot
Jaboticaba (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Sweetsop (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Aus. Brush Cherry (Small plant in 4-inch pot)
Banana Shrub (Small plants in 4-inch pot)
Dwarf Ylang (Plant in 6-inch pot)

The majority of these order items are small plants in 4-inch pots, as stated on our Web pages. And the fact that they all arrived in one piece with no broken stems speaks for the quality of packaging. As usual, plants are shipped in carton boxes with wadded up newspaper between them to avoid shifting.

These small plants do have less roots compared to those in bigger size (6-inch pot or 8-inch pot), but they are not bare-roots.

Withered leaves and dropping leaves are expected during shipping because there is little ventilation and light in these shipping boxes.

We provide excellent after-sale support to all customers. But in this case. the Email stating that the plants had arrived did not sound like the customer is in need of information or advice. We would have been able to reply and to offer information on reviving the plants if the Email had specifically asked for it."

The only place in Montreal were you can find rare exotics and asian vegetables and herbs (seeds and plants). Nice people to deal with.

Thanks, Perry: caring service, good advice, beautiful plant! A gift to my wife, the clivia that you sent resides in a place of honor, its splendid symmetry crowning each day.

I have been trying to purchase African Blood Lily bulbs for three years. Finally, Flora Exotica had them available and was willing to send them to my state. I corresponded several times to ensure I could get the number I needed and timely delivery. This organization is professional, responsive and helpful.

I will use watch for other unusual plants and bulbs from this company. What a wonderful experience!

Thank you.

this was a first time purchase,,it will not be the last,,many plants to choose from,,and the quality was A1,,I am very pleased with Perry and his vast selection
Bryan

Just received from Perry two healthy plants. He answered many of my questions before I made the purchase. The plants are much bigger and healthier than I anticipated. I hope to one day visit his store when I have chance to visit Montreal.

Will definitely buy from him again.

I ordered 10 packs of seeds. They arrived less than two weeks later. Germination has been good.

the amazing aspect is the price and the selection - seeds for a dollar! Canadian! Taxes included! I was blown away. that's _way_ less than the price I found for Calamondin seeds anywhere else.

What a pleasant buying experience! Perry e-mailed wihtin a day to answer my inquiery. He could have sold me items at regular price, but informed me that he was having an autumn sale. My first purchase was a strawberry guava, Australian brush cherry, Montery Cypress and a coffee plant. All arrived in perfect condition. I have since bought other itmes, and Perry is a wealth of knowledge. I WILL BE BACK :)
Christopher
Erin, Ont.

I have ordered twice from Perry of Flora Exotica and I must say that I have been quite pleased with both the product and with the service. I highly recommend Flora Exotica to anyone looking for the hard to find exotic species here in Canada.
I shall be most definitely ordering from Perry again and again.
Thank you very much Perry!

Flora Exotica has a very good service. For sure, I will do buy some more plants from them in the near future. Thanks you!

this company and the people are the best we;ve ever dealt with.beautiful plants,and very nice person to deal with.perry was right his plants are beautiful,i give this company,5big starssssssssssssss,thanks perry phillip sheppard

I ordered starfruit, tamarind, and sweetsop seeds and received them at the end of July. A good percentage germinated and are doing well. The only problem was that 4/10 starfruit seeds were crushed in the mail - not really a problem since the other seeds are doing well and I only needed 2 plants. Owner was very responsive to emails, answering promptly and helpfully. I would definitely buy from this company again.

Ordered a Kaffir lime and 2 Murraya exoticas from Floral Exotica, and am very pleased with the plants, which are hard to find in Canada, especially the orange jasmines. The company was very nice to deal with, and the shipping was fast. The tracking feature was nice, as I was warned when the package was ready to deliver.

If you live in Canada and looking for exotic plants, you don't want to miss Floral Exotica. You simply can't go wrong with this company. They have a very exotic selection of plants you can't easily find anywhere else in Canada.
On July 15th, I went to Perry's garden to pick up my plants, he gave me a private tour of his dream garden, he is so knowledgeable about his plants. I also had a taste of his juicy and sweet raspberry.

The plants I ordered are so healthy, the Michelia Alba is unbelivable big and healty, the Chocolate tree is over 6 feet tall. The hoya is Gorgeous. The price is unbeatable. Although I picked them up myself, he helped me for a professional pack up. Everything arrived at home sound. Now everything is growing so well.

I am really happy with his quality of service. Definitely will buy more in the short future.

I ordered a 6 inch Hoya compacta and received it in good condition. Perry sent it through Canada Post and I was able to track it so i could be available to receive it when it arrived. He also kept in touch with me via email as to when it would be sent off. I would definately order Hoyas or other plants from him again.

At first Perry was my last choice of nursery for difficult-to-find plants because he's located in Canada- I thought it would be more difficult and I regularly experience difficulty with the post office,UPS, my ag dept and Fedex. Over a period of time I ordered the same plants from 3 nurseries and here are the results:
The first got here but was 4 times the price of the other two. I couldn't afford to buy the number I wanted from them.
The second didn't follow my instructions carefully, the box got stopped in the ag dept and rotted there because the company wouldn't comply with the ag faxes.
At this point months had passed and I was getting worried that they would be no place that still had any left. So I ordered from Perry.
Perry promply answered my email, reiterated my instructions, got the certificates and a tracking number. The 20 plants arrived in perfect condition because Perry had hand-cut 20 holes in thick cardboard and gotten the right kind of styrofoam to do the job right. This wasn't easy for him because the plants naturally have very weak stems.
So, to summarize, I wouldn't hesitate to order from Canada if Perry's taking care of the order.

WOW!!! Truely impressed! Excellent service from beginning to end. Perry my hats off to you sir for a business well managed.

My experience with Flora Exotica has been nothing short of spectacular. I've place orders online before but never did I recieve the level of good service that I got from this company. All plants arrived healthy and undamaged. I could see that extra care was taken to ensure their safe arrival.

Great Service, Great Price, Great Selection....I will be back!!!


Andrew - Toronto, ON

Excellent merchant. Fast, friendly service and fantastic plants with good instructions....best of luck...I will be a repeat customer.

A note to say that I was very pleased with my recent order from Flora Excotia. The order was shipped promptly and was extremly well packaged. Please note that part of the order was a five foot tree. The order was shipped over two thousand miles and all arrived safe and sound.

Today received a full, well grown hanging basket of variegated Hoya kerrii purchased for me by another Canadian DG member as a present.

A very beautiful plant that was hand delivered by Perry at my work place, what more can one ask for.
Highly recommend this vendor which goes the extra mile (literally :).

Thanks Perry (and Pam :)

Thank you soooo much Perry!!! Ü

I placed an order with Perry's Flora Exotica on May 10/05 and it arrived 3 days later. The plants are in perfect shape and Flora Exotica did a wonderful job of packing them. I also received an email from Perry with growing instructions for my new lotus and he also sent another one that let me know the package had arrived in Moose Jaw, SK.

Wonderful communication and a 4 Star company to deal with.

This spring I ordered loquat, star fruit, blue butterfly and alocasia from this company. The service was outstanding, as the company had excellent correspondence from the time I placed the order to follow through after the plants were delivered. Even a note typed with the order to give information on care of the plants! The plants were large and very healthy, well packed, and mailed with expedited mail so tracking with Canada Post was easy.
I originally ordered the taro, so when the package was ready for mailing, I realized that I ordered the wrong one, but this company offered to exchange the common taro for the more ornamental Alocasia at no extra charge. Thank you for the service and I will surely order from them again.

Last summer, I ordered two dwarf lotus bulbs from Flora Exotica, and received detailed instructions for planting, care and winterising. To my pleasant surprise, they both flowered abundantly in the first season. The owner was quite knowledgeable in oriental varieties of indoor & outdoor plants and flowers, and served customers with an infected smile and enthusiasm. He takes pride in his products and personal services. By the way, the price was unbeatable!